Selecting a sport for your future kid

For many of us, our days in competitive athletics are long gone. However, that does not mean we can’t think, hope, root and possibly pray that our children will land in the perfect sport so we can live vicariously through them.

First, it is important to choose the perfect sport for our future children to participate in.

For a girl, the sports are wide open. Soccer, volleyball, tennis, soccer and softball are all great choices. The question becomes which sport would be best for your particular unborn child?

If you are 6 feet 8 inches volleyball might be great for your daughter, because her height would give her an advantage. If you’re shorter, angling your daughter for soccer or softball may ensure success for them.

Swimming might be great for your daughter because she is a little fish in the water. I guess we can’t plan out her entire life just yet.

If you have a boy, then sports such as football and hockey provide interesting problems for you.

On the one hand, nothing can quite compare to watching your little boy physically dominate some other little boy, but there is health to consider.

I love football but I am not sure if I want my kid to have to worry about the physical toll it can take on his body. Busted up joints and concussions are not something I would want to see my kid dispense or receive, which makes me nervous about him playing football.

Other sports such as basketball and baseball are appealing as well. However, my short stature will undoubtedly be a problem for him on the court. Baseball would be excellent if he could avoid the arm pain that pushes so many high school players to down four or five Advil before games just to dull the pain. That being said, the smell of the grass and playing catch with this fictitious son already has me thinking of my childhood.

Yet, whether a boy or girl, the best sport for your future kid to play has not been mentioned yet. The perfect sport for any child is golf.

The injury bug seems to bite less in golf, and, statistically speaking, it is easier to claim a college scholarship because there is less participation.

Golf also allows you to play with your kid and spend up to six hours on the course talking about life.

Even if your child does not have an aptitude for the sport that will earn them a college scholarship, a basic understanding of golf and at least a menial level of ability will serve him or her in the business world later on in life.

Of course, as future parents we should not force our children into anything that they do not want to be a part of. But, when they ask about the pretty course from their car seat as you drive by, it wouldn’t hurt to get a 7-iron in their hands and hope for the best.